"Spirit" - what is it?

[Marblehead]

Thanks for joining the party!

 

Oh, I've been reading, just haven't had anything to say since my earlier post.

 

May the spirit of Tao be with you and all else.

Edited November 25, 2011 by Marblehead

[9th]

Oh, I've been reading, just haven't had anything to say

 

as im sure you already know, cultivation is not a spectator sport

[Marblehead]

as im sure you already know, cultivation is not a spectator sport

 

Okay fella'. I guess I left myself open for that one.

[Birch]

Now Mr MH, stop playing with the noobs, will you:-)

[9th]

Actually I very much enjoy playtime... especially when the Masters of the Universe decide to join in

[Marblehead]

Okay. Y'all go ahead if you have something serious to talk about. Hehehe.

 

Do y'all think that immortality speaks to the spirit of man?

[ChiDragon]

Okay. Y'all go ahead if you have something serious to talk about. Hehehe.

 

Do y'all think that immortality speaks to the spirit of man?

 

No. 神人, shen ren(spirit of man) is an immortal. The term "spirit of man" was very misleading. IMO The "spirit of man" is the soul of an human being which does not attribute as an immortal.

 

If 神人(shen ren) was translated as "spirit of man", it has a very poor meaning and misleading as opposed to "immortal". It just doesn't convey the idea as an immortal. Of course, that was contributed from a cultural miscommunication.

 

Edited to add:

神仙(Xian Shi) is an immortal which lives in heaven, while a 神人(shen ren) is living on earth which is make preparation to live in heaven by further cultivation to a more extent to elevate to the next promotion.

Edited November 26, 2011 by ChiDragon

[Taomeow]

Okay. Y'all go ahead if you have something serious to talk about. Hehehe.

 

Do y'all think that immortality speaks to the spirit of man?

 

No, I think it speaks to the spirit of woman. The spirit of man is about "right now," yang is fast and immediate and reactive to the imperatives of the moment. Yang is impulsive -- it does not delay action into the indefinite future and does not dwell on the remote past, it lives in the present. The spirit of woman is about "forever," yin is invested into the past and the future (you can't have jing without the past, jing is memory, and you can't have pregnancy if you are not embodying the future. Yin has to have patience, you can't have a baby "right now," nor immortality -- you have to embody the spirit of long-term goals.)

[Marblehead]

No, I think it speaks to the spirit of woman.

 

Thanks Sweetie. When I said 'spirit of man' I meant women too. One thing I'm not is a sexist.

 

Yes, I live mostly in Yin now. My Yang days are over. But luckily I can't get pregnant. We men just don't do that.

[Taomeow]

Thanks Sweetie. When I said 'spirit of man' I meant women too. One thing I'm not is a sexist.

 

Yes, I live mostly in Yin now. My Yang days are over. But luckily I can't get pregnant. We men just don't do that.

 

Ever wondered why so many taoist immortality practices are about conceiving the "immortal fetus" and then "giving birth" to it?

 

But first of course a man tries to create a lower dantien to store stuff in. A spiritual uterus, effectively.

 

To be immortal, one has to embody tao.

Tao is the Great Mother, according to the immortals' accounts.

So whoever wants to be an immortal, has to embody the Great Mother -- regardless of one's gender incidental to the current condition.

I've seen articles asserting, on the basis of vast research into taoist classics, that Laozi not only became a Mother, but managed to give birth to himself!

Which only confirms the shamanic/Goddess cult roots of taoism -- the Goddess maintaining immortality by giving birth to herself was part of the universal beliefs for at least 75,000 years (which is the dating of the oldest figurine of the Goddess giving birth to herself found in Europe, if memory serves).

 

I think in order to get anywhere near genuine immortality practices, one would have to completely disregard the ideas and concepts of the last couple of thousand years. (You know, all those disembodied spirits ascending to heaven, paradise, nirvana, all that Indo-European jazz...)

[9th]

I think in order to get anywhere near genuine immortality practices, one would have to completely disregard the ideas and concepts of the last couple of thousand years. (You know, all those disembodied spirits ascending to heaven, paradise, nirvana, all that Indo-European jazz...)

 

You are entirely clueless.

[Taomeow]

You are entirely clueless.

 

Prove it, pretzel boy.

 

I have some of the best teachers and one of the best minds available in this century. (Don't expect me to blush, I know what I have.) If you have something better, I'm interested in what you have.

 

What do you have?

[Protector]

Law of nature is the same no matter what practice you follow

[konchog uma]

I think in order to get anywhere near genuine immortality practices, one would have to completely disregard the ideas and concepts of the last couple of thousand years. (You know, all those disembodied spirits ascending to heaven, paradise, nirvana, all that Indo-European jazz...)

 

i totally agree taomeow

 

another +1

 

thats one of the main reasons that daoism is so valuable to me, because it stretches back thousands of years to a more shamanistic and feminine-oriented way of life, and contains the essence of the primordial that was destroyed by later imperialistic thought. Not many traditions of the world today can match the longevity of daoist practices. Native american shamanism comes close, but to even work with a shaman at all is a rare gift for an american, or anyone else. I got to work with Lewis Mehl Madrona for a while, sweating with him and learning from him pretty regularly while he lived in my city, but i wasn't his apprentice!! and he didn't teach me advanced meditations like one can learn in books about daoism nowadays.

 

aww well thats enough about that. Thanks for your perspective.

[9th]

Prove it, pretzel boy.

 

I have some of the best teachers and one of the best minds available in this century. (Don't expect me to blush, I know what I have.) If you have something better, I'm interested in what you have.

 

What do you have?

 

Your big mouth doesnt equate to big power, even if that was the point. You are all bark, with no bite.

 

You still live in fear of the reptilian overlords in their motherships, orbiting the earth and controlling people's minds with microradiowaves.

 

So go ahead and put on your tin foil hat. See if that helps.

[Marblehead]

Ever wondered why so many taoist immortality practices are about conceiving the "immortal fetus" and then "giving birth" to it?

 

Yeah, well, you know I'm not into all that but just the fact the the TTC states "Tao gave birth to One" suggests to me that Tao is feminine and if we wanted to personify (which I don't) God is a woman.

 

But yes, Yin and Yang, feminine and masculine are a part of my beliefs and there are different times in our life when one should be dominant over the other.

 

I'm gald I'm not in the rat race any more and I no longer have to compete or prove myself to anyone.

 

"Immortals" is another subject. (I don't speak to it often.)

[konchog uma]

Your big mouth doesnt equate to big power, even if that was the point. You are all bark, with no bite.

 

You still live in fear of the reptilian overlords in their motherships, orbiting the earth and controlling people's minds with microradiowaves.

 

So go ahead and put on your tin foil hat. See if that helps.

 

first of all, youre the one who started it, and then didnt answer her question at all.

 

second of all, tin foil hats DO help, thats why people wear them.

 

how do i ignore this guy? i've never done that, can someone tell me how?

[9th]

*bows*

[konchog uma]

nevermind i figured it out. hahah thats awesome

 

i guess for some people, negative attention is better than no attention at all

[Marblehead]

Hehehe. Hey Folks! I was just trying to keep this thread alive because I think that the concept of "spirit" is an important one in Taoism.

 

I didn't expect to see any sword fights between immortals.

[9th]

That's the spirit.

[Taomeow]

*bows*

 

No bows from me, for I live in fear of my tin foil hat falling off.

[Taomeow]

i totally agree taomeow

 

another +1

 

thats one of the main reasons that daoism is so valuable to me, because it stretches back thousands of years to a more shamanistic and feminine-oriented way of life, and contains the essence of the primordial that was destroyed by later imperialistic thought. Not many traditions of the world today can match the longevity of daoist practices. Native american shamanism comes close, but to even work with a shaman at all is a rare gift for an american, or anyone else. I got to work with Lewis Mehl Madrona for a while, sweating with him and learning from him pretty regularly while he lived in my city, but i wasn't his apprentice!! and he didn't teach me advanced meditations like one can learn in books about daoism nowadays.

 

aww well thats enough about that. Thanks for your perspective.

 

Very cool.

 

Not just books though, there's teachers out there... they will slip this knowledge in quietly, very quietly, because after two thousand years of persecutions and brainwashing there's a helluva lot of sterilized minds out there that react to the slightest hint of reality with psychotic fits. I would say "find them" but no -- they will find you if you pursue this whiff of truth, they have sensitive noses for potential students who have sensitive noses!..

[konchog uma]

Very cool.

 

Not just books though, there's teachers out there... they will slip this knowledge in quietly, very quietly, because after two thousand years of persecutions and brainwashing there's a helluva lot of sterilized minds out there that react to the slightest hint of reality with psychotic fits. I would say "find them" but no -- they will find you if you pursue this whiff of truth, they have sensitive noses for potential students who have sensitive noses!..

 

Yeah i have two right now, although they arent Daoist Masters in any official sense they have the way in their hearts.

 

And youre right about the quietly... my qigong teacher can't tell all his stories to the whole class thats for sure. But its okay, i am more than fulfilled right now with what i am doing.

[9th]

No bows from me, for I live in fear of my tin foil hat falling off.

 

 

No need for you to worry about that, it's what those staples in your head are for.